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🇮🇸 Iceland /Culture & Society

“It is surreal to see yourself on a billboard in Tokyo”

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Icelandic model Alísa Helga Svansdóttir spent the summer working in Japan, including projects for major fashion companies.
  • She entered the modeling industry at 14, later worked mainly in Paris and Milan, and lived in Milan for about two and a half years.
  • One of her major experiences was a six-month in-house modeling contract with Bottega Veneta.

For Icelandic model Alísa Helga Svansdóttir, working in Japan this summer offered a chance to step beyond the European market she knew. “It has been incredibly fun to be here this summer,” she said, describing the experience as a major adventure.

It has been incredibly fun to be here this summer. In recent years I have mainly worked in Europe and been lucky enough to take part in many great projects there. I wanted to try something completely new, move beyond the market I knew and see whether I could also do well in another part of the world

· Alísa Helga SvansdóttirShe explained why she chose to work in Japan.

Alísa, now 23, took part in numerous projects, including work for large fashion companies. She said she wanted to try something completely new, travel around Japan and find out whether she could also succeed in another part of the world. Her musician boyfriend, Helgi Trausti Stefánsson, joined her during the early part of the stay.

She first became interested in modeling at 14 and contacted Iceland’s EY agency through Instagram. Things moved quickly. A year later, she made her first international work trip to Paris, then traveled abroad almost every summer, mainly to Milan and Paris. In 2021, she moved to Milan, where she lived for about two and a half years while working as a model.

I was 14 when I contacted the agency EY in Iceland through Instagram

· Alísa Helga SvansdóttirShe recalled how she entered the modeling industry.

Among her most notable assignments was a contract as an “in-house model” for Bottega Veneta. She worked for the Italian fashion house five days a week for roughly six months, trying on and tailoring clothes and taking part in internal fashion shows for Matthieu Blazy and his team.

One of my biggest projects was when I moved to Milan and got a contract as an in-house model with Bottega Veneta

· Alísa Helga SvansdóttirShe described one of her most important professional assignments.

She also highlighted her long relationship with Icelandic brand 66°North, which began when she was 16. She said the company played an important role in launching her career and remains especially meaningful to her. Fashion shows, she added, have a special atmosphere, with friends backstage, intense activity and tension building just before the models walk onto the runway.

I always joke that if Gucci and 66°North called me at the same time, I would choose 66°North

· Alísa Helga SvansdóttirShe described her attachment to the Icelandic fashion brand.
About this summary

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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